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Ground assaults in northern and southern Gaza are intensifying after Israel issued fresh evacuation orders in the devastated strip.
Israeli forces were battling Palestinian militants across the Gaza Strip on Sunday, including in parts of the devastated north that the military said it had cleared months ago, where Hamas has exploited a security vacuum to regroup.
Palestinians reported heavy Israeli bombardment overnight in the urban Jabaliya refugee camp and other areas in the northern Gaza Strip, which has suffered widespread devastation and been largely isolated by Israeli forces for months. UN officials say there is a "full-blown famine" there.
Residents said Israeli warplanes and artillery struck across the camp and the Zeitoun area east of Gaza City, where troops have been battling Palestinian militants for over a week. They have called on tens of thousands of people to relocate to nearby areas.
"It was a very difficult night," said Abdel-Kareem Radwan, a 48-year-old Palestinian from Jabaliya. He said they could hear intense and constant bombing since midday Saturday. "This is madness."
Key Points
- Ground assaults intensify in Gaza
- Israeli military issues fresh evacuation order for Gaza
- UN warns food supplies will ‘run out tomorrow’ in southern Gaza
- US says Israel's use of American weapons in Gaza likely violated international law
- UN assembly backs new drive for Palestine to become full member
Inside Oxford University’s Gaza student protests – where an Israeli MP made a bold appearance
‘I am very, very focused on the millions of people who are about to die’, one university protester tells Alex Ross as he is given a tour of their camp
Inside Oxford’s Gaza student protests – where an Israeli MP made a bold appearance
‘I am very, very focused on the millions of people who are about to die’, one university protester tells Alex Ross as he is given a tour of their camp
Tom Watling12 May 2024 10:15 1715503183What’s the latest in the Israel-Gaza conflict? 12 May
Good morning.
After Hamas published footage yesterday claiming British-Israeli hostage Nadav Popplewell had been killed in Gaza by an Israeli airstrike - a claim for which they provided no evidence - protesters took to the streets in Tel Aviv calling for a deal to be made with the militant group to end the fighting and bring back to Israel the remaining hostages. Police used water cannons to disperse the crowds as they clashed with the authorities.
128 individuals are still being held hostage in Gaza, with 36 confirmed as dead. US President Joe Biden said on Saturday that a ceasefire could be achieved “tomorrow” if Hamas released the hostages. His remarks came after he warned Israel that he could suspend weapons shipments if they invade Rafah, the southernmost city in Gaza, for fear of further civilians being caught up in the crossfire.
In the Strip, hundreds of thousands fled Rafah as witnesses said Israeli tanks had positioned themselves on Salahuddin Road, which divides central Rafah from the eastern areas Israel has ordered to be evacuated, ahead of the imminent ground offensive.
At least 34,971 Palestinians have been killed since Israel launched its retaliatory war in Gaza following the deadly Hamas attack of 7 October, according to the local health ministry. More than 78,000 have been injured.
Outside of the Middle East, pro-Palestine protesters were seen congregating on London’s Waterloo Bridge on Saturday afternoon.
Lord Cameron: Rafah offensive would be wrong, but pressure should be on Hamas
David Cameron has said an Israeli offensive in Rafah would be wrong, but that the pressure should be on Hamas to end the conflict.
The foreign secretary said Britain has been clear that for a major offensive to go ahead in the city, on the southern border of the Gaza Strip, should not go ahead without “a clear plan about how you save lives”.
But he told Sky News “the real pressure” should be on Hamas to agree a hostage release deal that could stop the fighting tomorrow.
Lord Cameron said: “The right answer is to try and stop the fighting by having a hostage deal, achieving a pause in the fighting and then using that to build a sustainable ceasefire without going back to further conflict.
“That's why I'm always pushing on the Israelis and on everyone else. But the problem is, it goes back to Hamas.
“Hamas had been offered a deal which would release hundreds of prisoners from Israeli jails, that would provide a pause in the fighting to get desperately needed aid into Gaza, and they're not taking that deal.”
Tom Watling12 May 2024 09:21 1715501016Ground battles intensify across Gaza
Israeli forces were battling Palestinian militants across the Gaza Strip on Sunday, including in parts of the devastated north that the military said it had cleared months ago, where Hamas has exploited a security vacuum to regroup.
Palestinians reported heavy Israeli bombardment overnight in the urban Jabaliya refugee camp and other areas in the northern Gaza Strip, which has suffered widespread devastation and been largely isolated by Israeli forces for months. U.N. officials say there is a "full-blown famine" there.
Residents said Israeli warplanes and artillery struck across the camp and the Zeitoun area east of Gaza City, where troops have been battling Palestinian militants for over a week. They have called on tens of thousands of people to relocate to nearby areas.
"It was a very difficult night," said Abdel-Kareem Radwan, a 48-year-old Palestinian from Jabaliya. He said they could hear intense and constant bombing since midday Saturday. "This is madness."
Matt Mathers12 May 2024 09:03 1715500807
Israel ‘carpet bombs’ Gaza refugee camp
Israel has reportedly “carpet bombed” the Jabalia refugee camp in northern Gaza.
Several Palestinians were killed and injured during the attacks, according to Al Jazeera and the Wafa news agency/
The exact number of casualties was not immediately clear.
Matt Mathers12 May 2024 09:00 1715499865
ICYMI: Rafah’s hospitals overwhelmed while food and fuel run out as Israel steps up bombardment
The few remaining hospitals in Rafah are at 250 per cent capacity, while food and fuel are running out, the United Nations has warned, as heavy fighting between Israeli troops and Palestinian militants moves towards the centre of Gaza’s border city.
Crucial aid crossings remain inaccessible, meaning supplies of food, medicines, tents and blankets are dwindling. The World Food Programme will run out of food for distribution in southern Gaza by Saturday and there are no tents, blankets or bedding to set up new locations for displaced people, said Georgios Petropoulos, an official with the UN Office for Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs in Rafah.
Full report:
Rafah’s hospitals overwhelmed while food and fuel run out as Israel steps up bombing
Hospital staff and UN officials say the Israeli assault is piling ‘catastrophe on top of catastrophe’
Matt Mathers12 May 2024 08:44 1715498112With the shock of 7 Oct still raw, profound sadness and anger grip Israel on its Memorial Day
Ruby Chen’s son, Itay, was killed in the Hamas attack on 7 October. But unlike scores of other families of soldiers killed that day, Chen doesn’t have a grave to visit because his son’s remains are held captive in Gaza.
The absence of a final resting place is being felt acutely now, as Israel marks its Memorial Day for fallen soldiers, when cemeteries are brimming with relatives mourning over the graves of their loved ones.
"Where are we supposed to go?" Chen said. "There is no burial site for us to go to."
Full report:
With the shock of Oct. 7 still raw, profound sadness and anger grip Israel on its Memorial Day
Memorial Day is always a somber occasion in Israel
Matt Mathers12 May 2024 08:15 1715496812
Watch: Israeli military release video claiming to show aftermath of Hamas attack on children’s playground
IDF release video claiming to show aftermath of Hamas attack on children’s playground
Israeli military has claimed Hamas carried out a missile strike on a children’s playground in southern Israel. Israel Defence Forces (IDF) released a video on Friday night (10 May), showing the aftermath of the alleged attack in Be’er Sheva. Air raid sirens can be heard in the background and a soldier is seen taking cover. Speaking to the camera, Captain Isacc said: “As you can see behind me, a missile exploded in the middle of the playground. This missile was part of a rocket barrage that was launched from Gaza. “Fortunately, no children were here at the time.” The Independent has not independently verified the footage.
Matt Mathers12 May 2024 07:53 1715495401Hamas claims British hostage has died as Israel orders new evacuations of Rafah
A British-Israeli hostage held in Gaza has died, Hamas claimed on Saturday – as Israeli forces ordered further evacuations of the strip, forcing tens of thousands of Palestinians to leave their homes.
Nadav Popplewell, 51, who was taken hostage during the 7 October attack on Israel, died of wounds caused by an Israeli airstrike a month ago.
Full report:
Hamas claims British hostage has died as new evacuations of Rafah ordered
Nadav Popplewell’s death unconfirmed as the Israeli army issues a large-scale evacuation order for parts of northern Gaza
Matt Mathers12 May 2024 07:30 1715494133Small pro-Palestinian protests held Saturday as college commencements are held
Small pro-Palestinian protests popped up sporadically Saturday as colleges and universities from North Carolina to California held commencement ceremonies, including dozens of graduating students at Virginia Commonwealth University who walked out on an address by Gov. Glenn Youngkin.
While some of the estimated 100 students and family members who left during the Republican governor’s speech showed support for Palestinians, others held signs signaling opposition to Youngkin’s policies on education, according to WRIC-TV.
At the University of Wisconsin-Madison, a small group of demonstrators staged what appeared to be a silent protest during commencement at Camp Randall Stadium. A photo posted by the Wisconsin State Journal showed about six people walking through the rear of the stadium, with two carrying a Palestinian flag.
At the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, pro-Palestinian demonstrators splattered red paint on the steps of a building hours ahead of the school’s commencement ceremony and chanted on campus while students wearing light blue graduation gowns posed for photos, the News & Observer reported. At the University of Texas, Austin, a student held up a Palestinian flag during a commencement ceremony and refused to leave the stage briefly before being escorted away by security.
And at the University of California, Berkeley, a small group of pro-Palestinian demonstrators began waving flags and chanting during commencement and were escorted to the back of the stadium, where they were joined by others, according to the San Francisco Chronicle. There were no major counterprotests, but some attendees voiced frustration.
"I feel like they’re ruining it for those of us who paid for tickets and came to show our pride for our graduates," said Annie Ramos, whose daughter is a student. "There’s a time and a place, and this is not it."
Matt Mathers12 May 2024 07:08 Newer1 / 6Older
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